Future Hindsight

When American democracy was conceived, the US was comprised of 13 states on the Eastern Seaboard, with a population of just over 2.5 …

The Fourth amendment protects people from unlawful searches and seizures. For example, in the 1970s the Supreme Court ruled that a …

Lamontagne’s study defines tolerable economic conditions as follows: the present value of abatement costs …

There is a college completion crisis and access crisis in America: black adults are only two thirds as likely to hold college …

Good health is the product of access to quality medical care and sound public health policy. Effective policies that improve …

Cash bail was initially conceived as a way to incentivize the accused to come to court at their appointed court dates. As the criminal legal system expanded during the tough-on-crime years, cash …

The health needs of half of our population – women – include maternal and reproductive health. Equal rights mean that women …

It’s a disservice to our communities and our democracy when the voices of women are missing in government. Women have a right for government to reflect their needs. The actual, lived …

Government and businesses rely on census data to provide the necessary services that make healthy and vibrant communities possible. The data reveals how many grocery stores, pharmacies, …

People have very little political power beyond voting on election day. Current governing structures are incapable of changing …

Engaging in early and constructive dialogue between indigenous communities and corporations is crucial for success. …

Video documentation of injustice and systemic abuse can be a powerful tool for holding offenders accountable. The key is …

The purpose of civil discourse is to enhance understanding, not to change minds. It’s always helpful to have a diversity of …

Grassroots movements believe that change starts on the local level. Indivisible started with sharing a Google doc guide to empower everyday people to now having over 4,000 groups throughout the country. …

If a lawmaker has not yet made a firm decision on an issue, an in-person meeting has a ninety-four percent efficacy rate as an advocacy strategy. It’s important for constituents to connect a …

The Gathering excels at bringing coalitions together with a common agenda; rapid and urgent response to crisis situations in communities; organizing, like marching in protest to Washington, D.C., from …

The 1963 March on Washington was the first mass protest in America. Due to the anxiety around such a massive group …

Our new season examines the power of protest and other civic action. Guests include activists who protest and advocates who don’t, from Brad Fitch of the Congressional Management Foundation and Jackie Zammuto of WITNESS …

This is a bonus episode from the Democracy Works podcast, which examines what it means to live in a democracy. Host Jenna Spinelle interviews David Frum, the author of Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic

We need representatives who truly represent the people by directly engaging with and listening to their …

Revisit some of the highlights of this season that gave us so much insight into poverty in America, added to our discourse, and helped us revise our thinking.

Welfare ceased being guaranteed after reform in 1996. Although the safety net for the working class was strengthened through tax credits, the safety net for those who are jobless disappeared. In its …

Hardship in America is common. In all of rich democracies, we have the highest rates of poverty among the elderly and also among children. In fact, the majority of Americans will be poor for a …

Because the foundation for all of life’s successes -- whether academic, social, or emotional -- is laid in the first five years of life, it is critically important to invest in early learning. …

Although it is no surprise that picking an insurance plan is complicated, it turns out it is nearly impossible. A study by George Loewenstein at Carnegie Mellon reveals …

The leading cause was cutbacks to federal funding for housing for poor people starting with the …

Max Kenner is the founder and executive director of the Bard Prison Initiative, a college that is spread across six interconnected prisons in New …

Stephen Bright served as the director of the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, and is currently a lecturer at Yale Law School, as well as …

Ross Morales Rocketto is co-founder of Run For Something, an organization that supports diverse, young progressives running for state and local office. We discuss which candidates win, why building a bench of local and …

"Telling these types of stories, showing people that it's not just white dudes who are lawyers, who have a lot of money, that can do this type of …

Education should be a path for children to develop into self-directed, self-supporting, skill-equipped young adults. This may or may …

The impact of individual and group efforts can be decisive in local political races, such as in the elections for a judge, a district …

People broadly agree that voter turnout should be higher and that voting should be easier, for example by making Election Day a holiday. …

Voting is our civic duty and our opportunity to participate in our democracy. We can hold our leaders accountable and also …

Political Power

The proactive strategy of Latino Victory to build power through elections is a recipe for success. They focus on grooming and …

Phil Polakoff is a physician with a distinguished career in public health and clinical medicine, the CEO of A Healthier We, and a consulting …

Census data supports communities
Government and businesses rely on census data to provide the necessary services that make healthy and vibrant communities possible. The data reveals how many grocery stores, pharmacies, …

The power of love and relational organizing
When people realize that their vote matters personally to others, they are more likely to show up and exercise this right. Ineligible voters, such as teenagers or formerly …

Brian Miller is the Executive Director of Nonprofit VOTE, an organization that partners with other nonprofits to integrate voter engagement into their ongoing activities. We discuss the importance of promoting voter …

A sneak peek of the first episode of Season 4: Brian Miller makes a
case for registering and voting. National Voter Registration Day is on
September 25, 2018.

Pam Elam and Namita Luthra serve on the Board of Directors of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Fund. Their Monumental Women campaign will bring the first statue commemorating real women to New York City’s …

Michael Faye is the president and co-founder of GiveDirectly, an organization that sends cash directly to people living in extreme poverty. We …

Maria Yuan is the founder of Issue Voter, an organization whose mission is to make civic engagement accessible, efficient, and impactful. We talk …

Rachel Leyland and Kendra Abel are public school teachers in Oklahoma City who participated in the walkout in April of 2018. We discuss how the …

Scott Warren is the CEO and co-founder of Generation Citizen, an organization that works to ensure students in the United States receive an effective …

Brent Wilkes is the former CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and a lifelong advocate for Latino rights. We discuss what …

Mark Hetfield is the President and CEO of HIAS, the oldest refugee assistance organization in operation. We discuss our humanitarian obligations to …

Paul Lagunes is a Columbia University political scientist whose scholarship focuses on corruption in the Americas. His current book project is …

Raise consciousness:

Globalists have been willing to stand by while many people were left behind. Elites need to acknowledge their complicity in order to reverse the increasing division between us and them, as well as …

Shafi Goldwasser is an award-winning mathematician and computer scientist and the Director of the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing at UC …

Jennifer March is the Executive Director of the Citizen’s Committee for Children of New York. This non-profit and nonpartisan child advocacy …

Democratic Congressman Beto O’Rourke represents his hometown, El Paso, TX. Currently a Candidate for US Senate, he is running a people-powered campaign, visiting every single county in Texas and listening to the needs …

Ruth Milkman is a sociologist of labor and labor movements, and Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the CUNY Graduate Center and at the Joseph S. …

Robert Hammond is the executive director and co-founder of Friends of the High Line, which was the driving force behind turning an abandoned elevated railroad in New York City into a public park. We discuss the …

Nick Ehrmann is the founder and president of Blue Engine, which was borne from the discovery that the strongest predictor of college completion is …

Tyler Ruzich is a 17-year old Republican candidate for governor of Kansas, one of eight teens in the race this year. We discuss what it means to be a …

A sneak peek of our next episode: civic engagement requires no minimum age. Tyler Ruzich, 17-year old Kansan, shows us how.

In the 8th and last episode of Season 1, we discuss the elder boom, and the increasing importance of home care and domestic work in our society.

Award-winning activist Ai-Jen Poo, a leading advocate for domestic …

Andrea Miller is the president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. We talk about the broad support among men for Roe vs. Wade, the Hyde Amendment, and the two most damaging misconceptions about abortions.

Andrea Miller is the president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. We talk about the impact that reproductive legislation has in society and how it’s historically been affected by safety and public health …

Joe Hartigan has cracked the code on how to effect change. He is a retired NYC Fire Department lieutenant and community activist since 1995. His passion, dedication, and consistency over many years brought about ferry …

Roland Augustine is an art dealer, tireless activist, and active member at the Bard College Prison Initiative. We discuss the necessity of finding …

James R. Doty, MD, is a neurosurgeon and clinical professor at Stanford University. He shows us how to shape our own lives and of those around us by reframing, practicing compassion, and living with an open heart.

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Richard K. Betts, Ph.D, is the Director of the Saltzmann Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University. We talk about how we can be …

Matt Kalmans is the CEO and co-founder of Applecart, a strategic political consultancy and lab. We discuss the power of voting, how social pressure …

Bernard Harcourt is an author, lawyer, and critical theorist. In our conversation, we discover that civic engagement is a learned skill, the power of …

A sneak peak of the first episode of Future Hindsight — Bernard Harcourt discusses why and how civic engagement matters.

The Future Hindsight podcast launched on January 20, 2018. Join us for our premier episode where we interview Bernard Harcourt to speak about civic …